POLICE are urging drivers to be wary after a spate of sat-nav thefts in the Nuneaton area.

People are often taking the units with them when they park their cars but are leaving behind the system's dashboard or wind-screen-mounted cradle.

Thieves have been breaking into cars to search glove-boxes and under seats to see if the sat-nav system has been left behind.

Detective Inspector Howard Ormsby, at Nuneaton police station, warned people not to leave the cradles on view in their vehicles and even advised people to wipe away the telltale suction pad marks from windscreens before leaving their vehicles.

He also warned people to be on their guard when buying secondhand systems.